The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-09

reason TO hope that a method of prophylaxis
by NEGOTIATIONS with an attcnuated virus
might be successfully practiccd, il We could
once succeed in isolating and cultivatng the
specific germ of the disease is yellow fever,
disease in which, as rule, q single attack
protects,
As you know, II has been claimed both by
DIR. Domingoes Frcirc, of Brazil and by Dr.
Carmona V. Vale, of Mexico, that the yellow
fever germ is discovered, and that method
OF prophylaNis by incubation has been cN-
perimentally demonstrated. As | have just
returned from a special mission, the object
OF which was TO investigate the claims of
these gentlemen, you will naturally expect
to hear from me ut this time with reference
to the results Of my investigations. | regret
TO say that am unable 10 crafty you In
this natural expectation. My orders explic-
lilly direct me mot 10 make publication of
my investigations and of the conclusions
reached by me" until | have submitted my
final report to the President OF the United
States.
have already occupied so much time in
speaking OF matters which ] consider of
prime importance that | cannot attempt To
make any general review Of recent bacteria
logical researches which have bearing upon
public hygiene. As a matter OF fact all adj
dtions To our knowledge of pathogcnic mi
cro-organismS are Of special importance 10
us as sanitarians, and Il is now generally
recognized that the only safe basis for practi-
cal sanitation is that which is afforded by an
exact knowledge of the etiology Of infectious
diseases, and of the biological characters OF
the specific infectious agents in these dis
eases Since the importance OF these studies
has been generally recognized, and the meth
DDS Of research have been perfected, the num-
Der OF trained workers has rapidly increased,
| aud nj present the greatest activity prevails
in the laboratories Of Europe. This is shown
by the number Of memoirs relating 20 cX-
pcrimcntal investigations made In this de-
partmcnt of science which are constantly np.
pcaring in the journals devoted to medicine
and hygiene In all parts of the world, but cs-
pceially Ia Germany in France, and IN Italy
The Jahrcsbericht, of Baumgurtcn, for the
year 1886, contains abstracts Of 533 papers
relating to miCro-organisms. With reference
To cholera, ! may say To you that recent re-
searches give support To the conclusions Of
Koch as TO the pathogcnic role in this dis
ease, OF the spirillum discovered by him in
the intcstincs Of cholera patients Its CON
slant presence in this disease seems 10 be
| demonstrated, and il is now generally adj
mittcd by psychologists that there are def
mite characters 10y which IL may be distiu-
/ gulshcd from similar organisms obtained
| from other sources such as the Finklcr-Priur
! spirillum aud the cheese spirillum of
! Dcnckc, which closely resemble IT,
Lustig, director Of the cholera hospitals at
! Trieste, examined the dcjccta in 40 eases of
! cholera aud found the spirllum Of Koch in
every case; on the other hand the bacillus uf
! Emcrich was only found In forty out of the
whole number OF eases examined, lizloni
aud Cattani also found Kocl's spirillum In
| the contents of the intestine In twcnty-iuur
eases examined by them during the cpdcm-
ic at Bologna in 1856. At Padua, also, re-
searches made by Cunestriui aud Morpurgu
gave the same result, the spirllum was CON
stanty found In the dcicctn in recent eases.
| These observers state that the cholera spiril-
lum retains its mobility and reproductive
power for a considerable time in stcriizcd
| distilled water. They were able tu obtain
! cultures after two months from such water,
This important fact has been verified 10y
! PlCiii,T, vino found, however that m the
! presence u; common sapruphytc bacteria
the cholera micrubc soon died out. lluCppc
has shown that the cholera spirillum forms
reproductive elements, which lac calls ar
thrOsporcs. These are not ~ readily de-
stroycd by dcssication rs are the fresh hacil-
| Ii, but they have nothing like the resisting
power 10 heat and chemical agents which
chamctcrizcs the endogcnous spores ~
the bacilli. The exact proportion In which
various disiniccting agents are destructive
| of the vitality Of the cholera spirilla has
/ y
| aud will be- stated In detail in the report Of
the committee on disinfcctants for the pres
cnt year This committee has also made cN-
tended experiments of the same Kind, In
which tho typhoid bacillus aud various other
pathogcnic organisms have served as the test
uf gcrmcidc power The chemical products
developed In cultures ~ result NJ the vital
activity Of the cholera spirillum have been
studied by Bitter. Buchncr and Contain.
] In IL
onstmtCd the presence of poisonous pto-
maine in cholera cultures which whcu in
| irctcd into the pCritonCal cavity ui dogs,
gives rise 90 symptoms resembling those ui
cholera. A recent observation oi value Is
that Of Buiwid who finds that bouillun cult
urcs Of the cholera spirillum have peculiar
chemical reaction 10y which they may be-
distinguished. According Ia this author the
| addition 81 n $40 per cent. solution ut by
druchloric acid Ia such a culture gives ris,
| within few minutes, a. a Tpsc.yiulct color
I which subsequently, when exposed Ia light,
changes Ia q bruwnish shade. The reaction
does not occur IN impure cultures. The
Finklcrrrior sprillum b. said Ia give sim
liar rrartipu after u longer time, but the
color lint developed is Of more broAnish
hue.
The auc ton Of the ctiolog al role aud
biological chamrtc-s of the typhoid bacillus
discovered by Ebcrth Ia 1881 las occupied
e
ncmcrYus bartcrolugi,is during the past
wear aud very important additions have
been made to our knowledge with reference
10 this organism The researches oi Bcumcr
aud PEPPER, 81 Scitz, aud of Fmnkcl aud
Simmunds are especially worthy IT notice,
but time will not permit me to give nn nh.
Iart vt the results reached 10y these aud
other investigator ! can only sny In q
general way that the earlier researches II
Ebcrth. Koch and Ganky are confirmed a'
regards the presence oi this bacillus in the
intestinal glands the spleen aud other or.
l,ius In typhoid eases, aud that very little
doubt exists among hartcriulpWsts u' a. the
Geological relation Uf this organism ~ the
disease I'M question although no satisfactory
pruui by NEGOTIATIONS IN lower animals ha.
? vet been found. This, however, j. not sur
pri.iup. iunsmurh as We have no oyidouc,
that any uf thc animals experimental upon
nrr liable a. contract the disease us man
, does. by drinking contaminated water.
According 10 Woln1ugcl aud Ricdcl III,
typhoid bacillus aud various other plihp
genie organisms tested, retain their vitality
! Tor q long time when preserved In ordinary
. well or hydmnt water aud even undergo
} considerable development IN such water
FARMLAND, also, has found that certain pa
, thurrnic bacteria tested by him increase,
% rnpidly In numbers In the water ~ thl
s Thames. and even IN distilled water. Mcndl
% Bolton, on the other hand found tina
{ mcrucOCcus tctmgunus, stnphylOcuccu
< aureus. the typhoid bacillus and the unthm'
b bacillus not only did not increase In numbc
u in stcrilizcd water. but soon persisted, Will
b certain nOn-pathogcnic species commonly
J. found In water increased rapidly IN number
i IN scrilzcd distilled water. A more rcccn
% research II that of kmus, who cnployc,
well water and hydrant water from the eli,
G vator.works 81 Munich, which, without be-
+. ing stcrilzcd. was infected with purc culiup'
4 OF various pathogcnic organisms diluted will
y distilled water. The infected water wa
b kept during The experimental tcmpcraiur